Earth and Americans: Amazingly Resilient

By Gary Abernathy

This article was originally published at The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published here with permission. 

As we approach the 250th birthday of the United States of America this weekend, our nation faces numerous divisions, challenges and obstacles. But that has always been the case. What’s important to remember is that the American people have always been extraordinarily resilient.

Examples abound. Rebuilding socially and economically after the devastation of the Civil War. Recovering and even expanding after the trauma of the Great Depression and World War II. Demonstrating solidarity and resolve after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Refusing to surrender to fear of the unknown during and after the Covid pandemic.

Through near-constant trials and tribulations since 1776, the citizens of the United States have been amazingly quick to bounce back, to meet any challenge, to prove the naysayers wrong. As President Harry S. Truman said after World War II, “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

Interestingly, resiliency is a trait most human beings share with the very soil on which we walk and the planet which we call home. Too often lost within the cacophony of apocalyptic predictions from the doomsday climate cult is the fact that built-in safeguards have for eons protected the environment from even the harshest pollutants, both natural and manmade.

From carbon dioxide to methane to mercury to petroleum, the Earth cranks out what many categorize as “pollution” on a regular basis. But, just as importantly, our planet’s natural processes either exchange these substances into useful ones or counteract their harmful qualities. Too often, the nightmare predictions from climate alarmists fail to properly consider the Earth’s natural ability to adapt and heal.

A recent reminder of that fact was offered courtesy of a new study published in the science journal Nature, as reported by Science Daily. The study found that while “melting frozen ground is widely known for releasing greenhouse gases, researchers found that it can also strengthen a natural process that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.”

The Science Daily article reported, “As global temperatures rise, permafrost is thawing across many regions, exposing long-frozen organic matter. Microbes break down this ancient carbon and release greenhouse gases, leading many scientists to view thawing permafrost primarily as a growing source of emissions.”

But, as frozen ground decays, “previously buried minerals become exposed and water interacts more extensively with rock surfaces. These changes accelerate chemical weathering, a process that can consume atmospheric CO2 .”

What happens then?

“According to the researchers, this weathering-driven carbon uptake can significantly reduce the amount of CO2  released by rivers. In some cases, it can even completely offset those emissions.” In other words, a natural process that has long been identified as “a growing source of emissions” in fact includes a natural counterbalancing process that “can even completely offset those emissions.”

Our planet is amazingly resilient, from forests regenerating after wildfires to rivers self-purifying after being polluted. There is a certain arrogance on the part of many people, even some scientists, to presume that God’s creation is unable to withstand whatever is thrown at it, even if adjustment or recovery takes more time in some cases than others.

We should strive to be good stewards of the Earth. But entrepreneurship, progress and affordability of our most reliable energy resources should not fall victim to fearmongering or, worse, the politicization of environmental science.

The researchers on the aforementioned study on permafrost emissions felt compelled to include the typical caveat that “rock weathering should not be viewed as a simple or permanent solution to climate change.” Don’t worry, the far left will make sure we never shake the fear of climate change.

The Bible tells us that God created man from the dust of the Earth (Gen. 2:7). It could be argued that from that dust, mankind inherited a built-in resiliency that allows us to bounce back from adversity and overcome the most daunting obstacles. And on this Fourth of July weekend, we should remember that no society has ever embodied those qualities more than the American people.

On America’s 250th birthday, we give thanks to our Creator for our independence, our liberty and our resolve, and for the likewise strong and resilient planet on which we live. Happy Fourth of July!

Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing opinion columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation.

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.